Hot Topics:

'X-Men' wins battle against 'Godzilla'

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
05/26/2014 06:33:52 AM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A team of mutants overpowered one massive mutant monster at the box office during the Memorial Day holiday.

Fox-Marvel's X-Men: Days of Future Past debuted with $91 million beating last weekend's No. 1 hit, the Warner Bros. sci-fi adventure Godzilla, which earned $31.4 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Days of Future Past is estimated to earn nearly $110 million over the four-day extended holiday weekend, which would make it the fifth-highest Memorial Day opener just after last year's $117 million-grossing Fast & Furious 6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End holds as the highest Memorial holiday debut ever with $140 million in 2007.

It appears the attention Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer has received lately due a sexual-assault lawsuit didn't deter fans from flocking to the theater. The director dropped out of doing any press for the film following the allegations because he didn't want to divert attention from the movie.

"Rarely do outside situations impact the box office," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "The true fans, all they care about is the movie."

Days of Future Past is the second-highest opener in the X-Men franchise after Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand debuted over Memorial Day weekend with $123 million in 2006.

Globally, Days of Future Past opened No. 1 in 119 countries with $262 million, the highest-grossing opening weekend worldwide of the X-Men franchise and the biggest Fox International opening weekend ever.

"This is a franchise that started back in 2000, which predated the first Spider-Man movie by two years, so 'X-Men' started the renaissance in the world of big superhero movies," Dergarabedian said.

The Warner Bros. romantic comedy Blended debuted at No. 3 with a lackluster $14.2 million. In the movie, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore team up for the third time following The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates.

Though Sandler's Grown Ups 2 grossed $247 million worldwide, his box-office success has teetered over the years. His 2012 comedy That's My Boy earned only $58 million globally, while his 2011 films, Jack and Jill and the Jennifer Aniston co-starring Just Go With It gained $150 million and $215 million worldwide, respectively.

Universal's Seth Rogen and Zac Efron-starring lewd comedy Neighbors took in $14 million as it crossed the $100 million mark domestically with $114 million overall.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released today.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.